How to Avoid a DUI This New Year's Eve

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A lot of people received an iPhone under the tree this year and many of them appear to have downloaded a new app from an unlikely source: the Colorado Department of Transportation. The app, "RU-Buzzed?," which has been downloaded more than 35,000 times since it was introduced in November, helps users measure whether they're too drunk to drive---just in time for New Year's Eve (via Westword). In 2008, 273 people were killed in drunken-driving-related crashes across the state, an increase of six percent from 2007 but still within the national average, points out the Associated Press. Moreover, drunks are responsible for 42 percent of all accidents in Colorado, according a study by the Colorado Human Services Department cited by 9News. But if you live in Denver or Colorado Springs, driving tonight can be a non-issue thanks to free rides, including on all RTD bus and light rail routes, coordinated by CDOT with partnering businesses and agencies. After the New Year, two state legislators are expected to submit bills that would increase the penalties for repeat offenders, increasing jail time and supervision after they are released. Meanwhile, up north of the gold dome, in Larimer County, a new court will address DUIs, reports the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

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The American Society of Interior Designers' (ASID) Colorado Chapter decorated the Governor's Residence for the holidays. Holiday tours, free and open to the public, will take place December 8-11 and December 15-18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All photos by Sarah Boyum